Earth Changes
The National Hurricane Center said Gordon had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph and was headed east at 18 mph. Helene had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving northwest at 7 mph late Friday. It was centered about 65 miles east of Tuxpan. Landfall was predicted for the northern part of Veracruz, a lush coastal state with hundreds of towns and villages sitting along streams and rivers that can swell dangerously in heavy rain. Many were evacuated as Ernesto approached last week, and flood damage made some 10,000 people homeless. Mexico's government declared a state of emergency in more than 100 population centers in Veracruz and was providing them with emergency aid. The country's national weather service warned of intense rains and winds along the Veracruz and Tamaulipas coasts, with heavy rain, hail and lightning possible. Helene was predicted to bring 5 inches to 10 inches of rain, with as many as 15 inches across northeastern portions of Mexico.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the late-afternoon quake struck 56 kilometers (35 miles) southeast of Palu city on Sulawesi Island at a depth of 19.9 kilometers (12.4 miles).
Sudirman, an officer at the Disaster Management Agency who uses one name, said there were reports from the province that at least two people were injured by falling debris and of damage to houses in Parigi Mountong, the district closest to the epicenter.
He said the full extent of the injuries and damage was not yet known.
The earthquake struck as people in the province were ending their fast on the last day of Ramadan, causing many to rush out into the streets in panic, local news reports said.
The USGS initially measured the quake at magnitude 6.6 but later adjusted it to 6.3.

While it is not unusual to spot great white sharks off the coast of Chatham Beach, this summer season a man was attacked by a great white off the cost of Truro Beach and this week 12-foot shark was seen off the coast of Sandy Neck Beach
Made famous by Steven Spielberg's 1975 blockbuster Jaws, Cape Cod has had a spate of great white shark sightings this summer season, including the first attack on a human since 1936. 'It was unreal,' said Richardson, who was looking for tuna on his friends harpoon boat Cynthia C on Tuesday when they spotted the shark. 'It got very aggressive. It turned on the boat, turned away from the boat and kept swimming. We followed it for about 10-15 minutes.'
Link to video

In this photo taken Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012, flames surround a house on a hillside above Bettas Road near Cle Elum, Wash.
Firefighters stopped a fire about 75 miles east of Seattle from destroying more buildings in the past two days, fire spokesman Mark Grassel said Thursday. The blaze near the town of Cle Elum burned at least 70 homes, more than 200 outbuildings and about 35 square miles of wildland since it started Monday.
Crews focused on strengthening lines on the fire's stubborn north flank, where flames whipped through thick pine and fir forests in a steep, rugged area.
"They're really trying to button up that line so they feel more secure about it holding," Grassel said.
Firefighters' work allowed officials to lift some evacuation orders, although homeowners said they didn't feel out of danger yet. Unusually hot, dry, unstable weather was expected Friday and Saturday, with thunderstorms possible, Grassel said.
Going by the current stats available, the mountain has already spewed enough ash from January to July, amounting to twice the amount emitted in all of last year. Masato Iguchi, a professor at the Sakurajima Volcano Research Center said that last year saw a record number of eruptions as well. The ground around Sakurajima indicates the buildup of magma and appears swollen.
And if Sakurajima keeps being as active it is right now, we can expect the amount of ash expelled to be a new record. In the past two decades this year's activity of explosions and ash fall have both risen dramatically.

A DC-10 drops retardant on the Buck wildfire over rugged terrain south of Hemet on Tuesday.
Some smoldering continues in interior back-country areas, the Riverside County Fire Department announced Thursday. One firefighter needed to be taken to a hospital with minor injuries, the department said.
Two other firefighters and one civilian had been injured Wednesday, and four structures were destroyed.
The Buck fire was one of more than a dozen that burned across the state this week, including a blaze a northern San Diego County called the Vallecito Lightning Complex fire. The Vallecito blaze, which started Sunday, has been 70% contained. Marine and Navy helicopters were used to assist the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection in fighting the blaze, which stretched over almost 20,000 acres.
Other fires were reported this week in San Bernardino County, Kern County and the Stanislaus National Forest. Ken Pimlott, chief of Cal Fire, said Wednesday that over 8,000 state, local and federal firefighters were battling the flames across the state.

The road between Whitland and Lampeter Velfrey which collapsed during last week’s floods
The B4328, between Whitland and Lampeter Velfrey, is a popular lane for motorists around the area who have now been forced to find other routes.
The hole appeared last week, after torrential rain caused flooding across the area, with fire crews inundated with calls.
Councillor David Simpson, ward member for Lampeter Velfrey, said he was first told about the hole on Monday, August 6.
"The rain took away a piece of road about 40 yards across - maybe 30 - and across the width of the road.
"I think it was about 20 foot deep."








Comment: Meanwhile, further north...
Multiple waterspouts touch down off Polish coast